Tourism minister advises states, UTs to establish ‘selfie danger zones’ to ensure tourists’ safety

Tourism minister Dr. Mahesh Sharma has told the Lok Sabha that State governments and Union Territory administrations are primarily responsible for ensuring the safety of visitors to tourist sites, a ministry statement said on Wednesday. Establishing ‘selfie danger zones’ is one of the preventive measures they can take, he said.
In a written reply to a query, Minister of State for Culture and Tourism Dr. Mahesh Sharma said it was incumbent upon states and UTs administrations to take such precautions to avoid “untoward” incidents. He also said his ministry took up, “the issue of ensuring safety and security of all tourists, domestic and international, with the State Governments and UT Administrations from time to time.”

Sharma added that the governments of Karnataka and Maharashtra had informed the tourism ministry that they had “taken measures to create awareness through signages indicating danger zones including selfie danger zones.”

Last year, 27 selfie-related deaths occured around the word, and 15 of these deaths were reported in India, according to the Washington Post . For example, in January 2015, three college students from the NCR were run over by a speeding train on a track near Kosikala in Uttar Pradesh, when they tried to take a ‘daredevil selfie’ in front of it. And in November 2015, two college students drowned in the Narmada Canal near a village in Gujarat while trying to take a selfie of themselves on the waterfront.

News Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/